Progress on securing future of Time4Us service

Posted on March 15, 2018

During the week progress has been made on securing the future of the Time4Us service in Galway. The service provides a venue for parents who are separated to spend time with their children. The Time4Us initiative has been organized through a voluntary board working out of premises provided by the HSE/Tusla. However, with retirements and other factors the service was facing a uncertain future.

Following representations from all Galway West/Mayo South TDs to Minister Katherine Zappone and meetings with the Time4Us board and team progress has been made to ensure the continuation of the Time4Us service to families. I would like to commend the stakeholders including the Time4Us team, the staff, Minister Zappone, officials and others for their work on ensuring the future of this important service. I think the successful resolution demonstrates what can be achieved when public representatives – TDs and councillors – work together for the good of our constituency.

Below is the letter from Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone on the issue.

Letter from Katherine Zappone:

Dear Colleague,

The Board of Time 4 Us shared, in advance, their preferred option for the future of the service.

This involves transferring the management and governance of Time 4 Us to another Voluntary organisation that operates a weekend service and has the required expertise in Family support.

To this end they have engaged with the Directors of Ard Family Resource Centre, Doughiska, Galway.

I have indicated my full support for this preferred option, as has Tusla. Detailed engagement will now take place in order to ensure that this is progressed to everyone’s satisfaction.

Time 4 Us will operate during the transition phase so that the families they support will not be without the valuable service they provide.

I would like to thank you sincerely for your successful efforts, input and help with maintaining this service.

We intend to explore if such a service can be offered from other FRCs once we have reviewed how the service operates in Doughiska after a twelve month period.

The Board of Time 4 Us remains key to ensuring that the service they provide continues as they originally intended. We have agreed to stay in touch as this progresses.